And the command he possessed over the elements of nature was no remedy for sensations like these.

Lydia,” said she, “is there anything ‘awe’-inspiring in this display of the elements?

WORD ORIGIN

c.1300, "earth, air, fire, or water," from Old French element (10c.), from Latin elementem "rudiment, first principle, matter in its most basic form" (translating Greek stoikheion), origin unknown. Meaning "simplest component of a complex substance" is late 14c. Modern sense in chemistry is from 1813. Elements "atmospheric force" is 1550s.